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Exclusive: Honeoye Falls GM plant sold to regional businesses

The GM plant in Honeoye Falls has been shuttered since 2012, when the company announced that it was closing it and moving all research to Pontiac, Michigan.(Photo: Sarah Taddeo/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)Buy Photo

Story Highlights

The 160,000 square feet of vacant space will be occupied by two regional businesses.

The former General Motors fuel cell plant in Honeoye Falls has been sold to two businesses with local ties, ending about five years of vacancy that took a toll on the tight-knit village community, according to the village mayor.

The research and development plant on Carriage Street, which was shuttered after the closing announcement in 2012, employed more than 200 people and focused on emerging technology research for the U.S. vehicle manufacturing giant. But when GM moved that work to a facility in Pontiac, Michigan, the village of Honeoye Falls lost those jobs and the walking traffic that came with them.

“The big thing for us … was the 200 to 300 people who worked there and were in our village every day,” said Honeoye Falls Mayor Richard Milne. The two new businesses — to be revealed — will move about 100 jobs to the village area, with potential for growth and additional jobs in the future, said Milne.

“(Those employees) will be in our village on a daily basis, and will go to our grocery stores, go to our restaurants, and use our local businesses,” he said. “And that’s the huge benefit of this.”

The deal is set in stone from a financial sense, said Milne, but the logistics of the move are still in the works, which is why the official announcement about the two businesses has not been made yet. The sale has not yet been recorded on the Monroe County Clerk's Office website.

The GM Fuel Cell plant in Honeoye Falls was once on the cutting edge, but in 2012 it abruptly shut down.(Photo: Provided, General Motors)

The two companies will take over about 160,000 square feet of specialized technical and office space in two buildings on Carriage Street, which they’ll have to outfit for their needs. They may also have to upgrade the structures themselves, as they’ve been vacant for years and may need basic repair, he said.

The Democrat and Chronicle reached out to Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage Co. for comment on the final sale price.

The sale came about after years of collaborative efforts to bring interest to a property that proved to be a tough one to market, said Milne.

“The buildings were built for a specific business that is no longer there, and you’re never going to get that business to come back to those buildings,” he said. “So it’s a difficult piece of property because of the size and magnitude. But this is going to really resurrect buildings that have been sitting dormant.”

The businesses work in material manufacturing and machine parts, said Milne. They’re currently located in the Rochester region and are both looking to expand. It’s uncertain how long it could take them to become fully operational in their new spaces, but equipment is already being moved to the property, he said.

To have the 19-acre property on its way to occupancy is a weight off the shoulders of the village government, and is hopefully a harbinger of other good opportunities to come, said Milne.

“It’s very difficult for me to go to the grocery store and for somebody to say, ‘Any news on the Carriage Street properties? Anybody interested?’" said Milne. “I think this certainly helps serve as a strong catalyst for positive things moving forward. These are the types of businesses that are good for our community.”